600
YEARS OF HOSPITALITY, HISTORY & WEDDINGS
The Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick
This
historic group of timber-framed buildings near Warwick’s famed “Norman
Gate” an easy walk from Warwick Castle, have been continuously
occupied for 600 years, first as a chapel chantry, then home for medieval
artisan Guilds, then a hospital for the retirement of wounded ex-servicemen
and their wives. The Chantry Chapel of St. James is the oldest structure
constructed under charter from Richard II in 1383. On weekdays the hospital’s
old soldier “brethren” still gather for prayers surrounded
by artifacts of Warwick’s celebrated tradition of woodcarving.
In 1450 the beamed Guildhall was built by the Earl of Warwick, Neville called “the Kingmaker” (see Warwick Castle - Medieval Ghosts and Love Birds). And in Elizabethan times the buildings which had stood already for over 150 years changed to new purpose. Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, Queen Elizabeth’s favorite who came to tragic end when he challenged the Queen’s authority, founded the military retirement home or “hospital” for soldiers disabled in England’s far-flung wars. The Hospital still remains as a self-supporting charity today.
The Guild Hall contains a collection of trophies brought back from far lands of the empire by retiring soldiers. It also is home to the Regimental Museum of the West Midlands Queen’s Own Hussars cavalry regiment. The courtyard is one of the finest surviving examples of untouched ancient half-timbered architecture, constantly photographed, subject of artists and used as a location for film and television productions.
The Lord Leycester Hospital is located at the west end of High Street. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, with a small car park, admission is under 5 pounds including the Queen’s Hussars museum and master garden, a beautiful and tranquil example of a medieval English garden dating from the Norman period.
Thinking of a medieval style wedding and royal honeymoon? The Great Hall and Guild Hall are quite popular for weddings and available for private events, with in-house catering served by the Brethren’s kitchen. © Bargain Travel Europe
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Lord
Leycester Hospital
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See also:
ETTINGTON
PARK MANOR HOTEL
THE
STRATFORD MAN
LANGLEY
CASTLE HOTEL
